Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/907858
• IDA has a distinguished history of supporting development and use of desalination technology, and in a changing world it's crucial that we examine the changes that we can make to better serve our members, and the expanding desalination and water reuse community. We are reviewing our operations: activities, programs, events, member services, communications, and membership engagement, to ensure that we provide maximum value to all our stakeholders. The goal is to identify and enhance the programs and services that are most relevant and o• er the greatest value to our members, and to determine how we can be more e• ective and e• cient, and attract increased membership participation. We have a renewed sense of commitment to connect with, engage, and provide value to the community we serve. Career and professional development services, networking opportunities, and special platforms and channels for real-time communications between members are among the most valuable things that we can o• er. Another is to provide a source of knowledge and information regarding business opportunities, research and development activities, industry developments and events, and professional education, which can bene t our individual members, industry members, and academic members. Our strength comes from the tireless and generous e• orts of our members who spend their time on IDA matters, because they believe in our mission to promote development and use of desalination and water reuse globally. These people, all of whom serve on a volunteer basis, are our most important resource. Another area of great potential will be to expand our strategic alliances and to cooperate more closely with our allies, and our 16 a• liate organisations, to increase the scope and bene ts of our activities for members, and for the global desalination and water reuse community. A further priority is to support the technical programs committee to develop IDA events about technology and policy speci c topics, to appeal to the widest possible attendance, and to provide maximum value to those who participate. • The IDA constitution speci es our overall goals as an organisation. They can be summarised as 'promoting the use of desalination and water reuse to meet global water needs'. This overarching mission does not change. However, our strategic actions and interim objectives change as conditions change. For example, there is a need for quali ed research professionals, managers, engineers, and technicians, to meet current and future demand for advanced water processing around the world. Therefore, encouraging and facilitating professional education and careers will be an objective for at least the next ve years. Another goal is to expand our community to embrace all aspects of planning and satisfying global water needs, and to promote communication within that community. Our vision is for the IDA community to include technology providers, and government policy makers, technology users, the international nance community, global think tanks, and non-governmental organisations. We also have an objective to promote the maximum practical use of non- polluting renewable energy sources to power desalination and reuse. • We will create new opportunities for engagement with our existing members, a• liates, and others involved in desalination and reuse, enabling them, in turn, to engage with other members. The aim is to create more value, to share knowledge, and to connect people and ideas to create water solutions. Q & A S H A N N O N M C C A R T H Y 'Our strength comes from our members' Shannon McCarthy, new secretary general of the International Desalination Association (IDA), outlines her fi rst steps in post How can IDA members learn more about future plans and interact with the new team? What are the key objectives for IDA over the next fi ve years? What will be on your to-do list during your fi rst six months in post? Our vision is for IDA's community to include technology providers, policy makers, users, fi nanciers, and NGOs S H A N N O N M C C A R T H Y 'Our strength comes from 30 IDA & Affi liates December 2017 Water. desalination + reuse